


The Return of ARCHER

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: Aftermath [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Because it's me, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Cora and Peter Hale Come Back, Food mention, Gore, Happy Ending, Hayden Comes Back, Hayden is a jerk, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Lots of Hurt, Lots of Whump, M/M, Major Character Death (temporary), Major Character Injury, Possibly Some Religious Discussion, Some Fluff, Thiam, Whump, Yo ARCHER is back, everyone gets hurt, major character death is temporary, sterek, tws for:
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: ARCHER may have been blown up, but her creators got away. Now, they’re back—and this time with backup. One is a witch. An actual witch. Which is bad enough, of course, because that kind of alliance is trouble.But ARCHER had a secret. Yes, there was one of her. Yes, she had been blown up and couldn’t be a threat.But she COULD be a prototype—and that was exactly what she was.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Aftermath [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727239
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter Index & Important Notes

**Important Notes:**

\--this fic is MULTIPLE CHAPTERS (index is listed last in this chapter for future reference)

\--the ARCHER prototype and its successors are MY idea; they will be appearing in a book and animated series of my creation, so I strongly request you do not steal my ideas

\--I do not own Teen Wolf (trust me, you would either be looking at a Sterek and Thiam endgame or there wouldn’t be any gay characters because I was a small child when the series came out and didn’t realise I was gay until seventh grade…when I was still a homophobe), and I have only watched a certain number of episodes on the show. Not all information will be accurate as a result

\--all TWs are in the tags, although some may be featured in the ante-notes of specific chapters. Read at your own risk

\--Do not repost on another site

Less Important Notes:

This doesn’t happen long after the previous works both in “I Must Be Good For Something” and in “Aftermath”. However, it deals with something much darker and won’t have as many light scenes as the others do. It also features other members of the Pack who were previously missing—in particular Cora (whom I mistook for Laura and thought was dead), Peter (whom I’ve repeatedly _wished_ was dead), and Hayden (whom I have a low opinion of when I’m putting it the nice way). As these three were not present for the events of “Lions Sit in Solemn Lines” and the two following fics, they lack the view of Theo the others have.

The hunters featured in this, as well as the ARCHERs, are from as series yet to be published. For the time being, the series has been nicknamed “Wolves” (yes, I was worried it would seem too similar to Teen Wolf, but there are ideas I brought in from the first novel and series I ever wrote and let’s say things are already drastically different). What you need to know is that the ARCHERs are designed for tracking down and taking down creatures with elemental abilities, and said creatures are what their world’s werewolf mythos are based off. As a result, the ARCHERs can bring down even an Alpha werewolf.

Now, with that, onto the Chapter Index!

Chapter Index:

  1. Chapter Index & Important Notes
  2. Prologue
  3. Geometric Sequence
  4. This Cannot Be Happening
  5. Face Off
  6. Epilogue
  7. Link for “Wolves” Trailer (If Prepared)




	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal is made. The new ARCHERs are introduced. And some old faces return to Beacon Hills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title says, this is the prologue, and that’s why it’s being posted on the same day as the chapter index. Next chapter is called “Geometric Sequence”.  
> Please do not repost on other sites or steal my ideas.

“Any particular reason you picked now to come back?”

The car zoomed down on of California’s many highways, silence reigning both inside and outside. The deep woods were thick with shadows, towering along the rolling hills like sentinels in the midnight. Looming on the horizon like a watchdog, the half moon beamed down on them. The clock read 3:26 a.m. Crackly static burst from the speakers until the passenger finally reached over and turned it off.

Sharp eyes met his, and the driver adjusted his hands on the wheel. “According to Derek, there’s been an… _incident_ regarding the Pack. I thought it would be… _better_ for us to check it out.”

“Because family has always been your priority.” He glanced at her, flashing her eyes. She responded in kind. “Think about it, Peter. There are six years where I didn’t know you.”

“I was in a coma!”

“Ah, yes, the coma where you planned to kill every supernatural in Beacon Hills. Lovely idea, really. Gives me every reason to trust you.” His knuckles tightened on the wheel even more. “What happened?”

“Hunters.”

“And Derek wants us because…?”

“Oh, I doubt he _wants_ us there, but he certainly _needs_ us.”

“And the reason why?” He didn’t reply for a moment. Growling with annoyance, she pointed out, “You’re worse than Deaton.”

“I am not!” She rolled her eyes, and he scoffed. “You think so highly of me.”

“Clearly.”

They went silent again, and Peter Hale glanced in the rearview. Finally, he sighed, and his niece arched an eyebrow. “Okay, fine. These hunters had some kind of backup. I don’t know what—don’t give me that look, your brother wouldn’t tell me any more than that. I don’t think _he_ knows, either. One of their Pack members—”

“Is _Derek_ heading the Pack again?”

“No, it’s still McCall.” Cora made a sound. “Well, the… _thing_ attacked one of their Pack members. Nearly killed him, too.”

“Who? Isaac?” Peter glanced at her, and Cora snarled, “Just answer me.”

“Derek wouldn’t say. It’s been three months since that happened, though, and the kid is _still_ trying to recover fully.” Glancing in the rearview again, Peter continued, “So we’re going to make sure everything turns out fine and that there’s puppies and sunshine and—”

“Cut the bull, you just want to see if it’s going after you.” He shot her a look she also returned in kind, then sighed. Looking at the road ahead, Cora propped her arm up against the window and leaned against her hand. “Do you think the hunters will come back? It doesn’t sound like they got captured.” He didn’t reply, shifting uncomfortably. “Peter.” With a quick glance her way, he sighed. Outside, a sign reading ‘Beacon Hills, 15 miles’ whipped past in a green blur.

“I think they’re there already…and if not, they’re getting backup.”

+++

They met the witch in a diner sixty miles north of Beacon Hills.

As he walked in the door, the main hunter wrinkled his nose in disgust. The thick stench of motor oil and cigarettes pervaded the air, cloying and revolting. Other than the staff and the hunters themselves, the diner only had six patrons—a family of four eating brunch in a booth, an older man sitting at the counter nursing a cup of coffee, and a woman in her late twenties. She was the one they were her for.

Nodding to the two men flanking him, the lead hunter strolled over to the lady. At first glance, she seemed unassuming. A tight fitting black corset wrapped around a longsleeved white button-up, and she had a pair of black jeans on. Leather boots poked out beneath the cuffs. When her grey eyes met his, she tapped the toe of one boot on the tile, and a silver blade sprang from the heel. Smiling, she fluttered her eyelashes and leaned forward as he sat across from her, musing in a low voice, “You’re new here. Looking for someone?”

He held out a small drawstring pouch, which she took and opened. “Is that what you wanted, sweetheart?”

She pulled on of the plants out with a smile. It was a small twig, with fern-shaped leaves and dried, creamy white flowers. “The name is Cybil. You would be the lovely hunters I’m working with?”

“Jackson Hound.” He indicated himself, then the others. “Nathaniel Chase and Tony Bolt. Nathaniel created the ARCHERs.”

Running a hand through her light brown curls, Cybil smiled and tilted her head. “Well, Jackson, do you have _your_ hounds? I hear the prototype did well, all things considered.”

He gestured for her to follow and they went to a large truck with a horse trailer in the parking lot. The windows were netted, so they went to the back. Pulling open the door, he beckoned to her. “What do you think?”

A dangerous light crossed her eyes, and she stepped into the trailer. If this were any other witch, Jackson probably would have killed her already. However, Cybil Whitney was not one to be messed with. Even amongst the hunter world, her name was one either avoided or considered to be an ally.

Smiling, she slid her hand along the jaw of the closest one. The chrome sparkled in the daylight. Branded on the neck was the Hound family crest—a hunting dog with an arrow in its mouth. Turning, she exited the trailer and closed the door, meeting Jackson’s gaze.

“Let’s go hunt some wolves.”

+++

Unpacking was hard, even with supernatural strength.

Hayden and her sister, Valerie, were sitting outside one of the local frozen yoghurt parlours. “So, we’re back for your last year. Are you excited?” Valerie asked, scooping Dole whip pineapple covered in an obscene amount of coconut shavings into her mouth.

Smiling, Hayden counted the holes in the table. It was one of those weird mesh ones people occasionally got their fingers stuck in. “Yeah, I am. It’s going to be nice seeing everyone again. Thanks for…for bringing us back.”

Valerie shrugged. “I was sick of seeing you pout over that boy. What was his name? Llewellyn? Lionel? Lloyd?’

“You mean _Liam_?”

Valerie nodded. “Ah, yes, Mr Face-Punching-is-Romantic.” Snorting, Hayden shovelled more froyo into her mouth. “I’m not wrong, Hayden.”

“Technically that makes me _Ms_ Face-Punching-is-Romantic.”

“Still not wrong.”

Rolling her eyes, Hayden took a deep breath. It was a beautiful California day. The sun was shining and warm, the sky was almost all blue except for a few rebellious clouds, and a soft breeze played with her hair. “I forgot how nice it was here.”

Her eyes landed on a dark, cobalt blue truck sitting in the parking lot, and she frowned. When she blinked, though, she could see Malia’s handwriting on one of the windows and realised it wasn’t the truck she thought. _This is not the truck you’re looking for,_ she mused internally, almost smiling.

Almost.

“What are you thinking about?” Valerie asked, and Hayden met her gaze.

“Oh, nothing important.” _He’s gone_ , she reminded herself. _He’s in Hell and he’s not coming back._ “Just…thinking about calling Liam. I kind of want to.”

Forget _wanting_ to call, she _had_ to.

Because if Mr Chimera of Death was back, they had a _big_ problem/

+++

“Are we sure this is going to work?”

Jackson Hound glanced at his right-hand man, the mechanic behind the genius of the ARCHER and her successors, Nathaniel Chase. Reaching over, he touched the other man’s shoulder with one hand. “Of course it is.”

“Jackson, we’re trusting a _witch_. How can this seem like a good idea to you?” Eyes narrowing, Jackson followed Cybil’s car as she led them to her Beacon Hills getaway. Nathaniel wasn’t stupid, not in the slightest, and he wasn’t a mind-reader, either.

“That chimera survived everything we threw at it, including ARCHER. It’s dangerous, and we’re hunters. It’s our job to put rabid monsters down, and that chimera is rabid if I’ve ever seen one.

Nathaniel sighed, looking down at one of the few pieces of ARCHER they had managed to salvage before running. “Jackson, I don’t think we can trust her.”

“You’re right—we can’t. But that chimera is a rabid _beast_. We need to take it out.” Shrugging, he added, “And if Cybil gets caught in the cross-fire…well, nothing we can do about that.”

They pulled to a stop in front of Cybil’s cabin. She and the hunters went to the trailer doors, and Jackson signalled for Nathaniel and Tony to open the doors. “Would you care to do the honours, Mr Hound?” A cold smile played on the witch’s face, and Jackson stepped up to the doors.

“Apollo, Artemis, Orion, order Seven-Five-Alpha-Six.” The three ARCHERs inside whirred to life, eyes flowing Alpha red. As Jackson stepped back, the three emerged into the dying moonlight. Cybil grinned wickedly.

“Now _this_ is going to be _fun._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, the prologue’s done. Now, on to Chapter One: Geometric Sequence.  
> Also, I thought Malia looked great with long hair, but short-haired Malia could stab me with her claws and I’d probably thank her. Like, what the heck, why did Teen Wolf manage to get so many great-looking people? Like, they look really cool and…yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t date any of them (even Dylan Sprayberry is about half a decade older than I am), but being friends with them would be cool. There’s also the fact I can’t tell if I actually like how some of the guys look or if my trans brain is like ‘ha, I want to look like that’. Also, my dad started reading the second book in one of my series and now I'm anxious because he's a youth pastor and that's the book where a lot of characters are revealed to be gay.  
> Anyways, you’re going to hate me for next chapter.  
> Into the fray!


	3. Geometric Sequence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hayden, Cora, and Peter find out about Theo’s return. There’s some mild drama. However, the Pack has bigger issues and bigger threats to deal with—and finally comes face-to-face with not one ARCHER, but all three. And with Cybil Whitney there, too, things are about to go very, very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Including the adults (and this fic’s newcomers), the McCall Pack has nineteen members and nearly seventy percent of them are male. Valerie is not included in that count.   
> Anyways, some of this was typed up while I was recovering from a mild panic attack and a bout of sleep deprivation, so this might not seem all that good. Sorry in advance.   
> All flash-forwards and flashbacks will be in italics. That goes for the whole fic, by the way. This is unbeta’d and therefore may have a number of mistakes.  
> So with that, on to the fic!

“Theo!”

_The chimera was lying on the ground a few feet away from him, covered in dirt and dead leaves and blood. Gasping, he held Liam’s gaze with pained eyes. Blood dripped from his lips, pooled beneath him from a jagged wound in his chest. His last—Theo’s last words echoed in his mind, desperate and choked._

_“Hayden! Stop, please—no!_ Hayden!” _He hadn’t fought back. Why hadn’t he fought back? He’d been_ begging _her. Why hadn’t she_ stopped?

_Liam crawled the last few feet to Theo’s side. Already, with each heartbeat, the light in those beautiful eyes of his faded. Blood pulsed from the tears in his chest, from his shredded lungs and ravaged heart. The wounds were too deep—even a werewolf’s healing wouldn’t be able to save him. With light fingers, Liam gently brushed Theo’s cheek, earning a low moan from the chimera. “Come on, Theo, stay with me. You need to stay with me, please. You promised.”_

_Footsteps came running up—the rest of the Pack. “Oh…Hayden, what did you do?” Stiles whispered distantly, and Liam noticed Theo’s eyes were drifting shut. Horrified, he straightened up, ignored the screaming of his own wounds, and pulled Theo into his arms. Stiles went and crouched by his side, touching Theo’s knee. From the look on his face, it was obvious he knew Theo wouldn’t make it, either._

_Chest fluttering with each ragged breath, Theo stared up at Liam. Tears ran down his cheeks, leaving tracks in the dirt smudged there. A little bit of paint was left by his eyes. With a bloodied hand and a red bout of coughing, he reached up and rubbed Liam’s cheek, swept a thumb under his eye. Liam grabbed his hand, pressing it closer._

_Swallowing, Theo forced out a choked cry, a few thorn-edged words past his own blood. “I—I love…” Another weak cough wracked him and he frowned, grasping Liam’s hand like it was a lifeline. Like it was the only thing keeping him able to force out one more word. “…you…”_

_With a shaky breath, he went limp against Liam’s chest, eyes staring up at something past Liam’s shoulder. For a moment, everything narrowed down to nothing more than him and Theo. Liam clutched the chimera closer and stared up at the sky, an unfairly blue and cloudless and careless one._

“Theo!”

+++

Everything had been almost blissfully perfect for the last week.

As he dozed on the living room couch, Theo could not keep the smile off his face. He and Liam had been playing around, trying to paint something for Melissa to hang up in the W-Ward. Of course, they had been more covered in paint than the canvases, which didn’t help. They’d have to go back to it at some point. For now, Liam’s paint-stained fingers were combing through his hair, scratching gently at his scalp and teasing out the tangles every so often. The touch was delicate, intimate in a way that Theo hadn’t felt from anyone who wasn’t Pack in a long while. All he knew was that he was warm, in Liam’s presence, and safe. Sunlight beamed down on them, and he took a deep breath. The aroma of mountain air and blue bodywash wreathed around him, intermingled with the hospital-affected smells of Jenna and David. The scents of home.

Head resting on Liam’s chest, Theo inhaled with another smile and nuzzled into his boyfriend’s neck. “You smell…mmm—” He stretched and yawned, arms tightening around Liam’s waist, in the middle of his sentence. “So good.”

Laughing, Liam ran his hands down Theo’s back and up his sides. Little sparks of white-hot pleasure and comfort shot through his body at the touch, even though the unfamiliarity of good touch still made him squirm and sent little shivers through him. “What, even with my morning breath?”

“We just had pancakes with syrup for breakfast. You smell _great_.” Snuggling into him, Theo listened to the steady bounce of his boyfriend’s heartbeat. He was practically purring, which made Liam laugh and start rubbing his back, right between his shoulders. “Oh, keep doing that. That’s nice.”

“For someone so smart, you have, like, three synonyms for nice.” Tilting his head up, Theo smiled sleepily. “How’d you sleep last night?”

“Better than the night before. Think I’m a little bit drunk off that.”

“You can’t get drunk off touch and sleep, Theo.”

“Maybe chimeras can.”

“Oh, shush.”

Tilting his head up, Theo smiled again. Liam took both sides of his face. For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then they both smiled and Theo laughed and Liam leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t like some of the previous ones they’d had, ones that stemmed from passion and emotion and even _anger_ once or twice. This was gentle, delicate even. Loving.

When they broke it off, Liam stroked his hands over Theo’s face. “Please, don’t stop,” he kept making that almost purr-like sound, and Liam smiled and tousled his bangs. “I sound stupid, don’t I?” He leaned into Liam’s hand when his face was cupped again.

“You sound touch-starved.” Liam kissed him again, sliding his hands down to Theo’s hips. Before they could go any further, sadly, their phones buzzed on the coffee table.

Groaning, Theo tucked his head into Liam’s chest and grabbed for his phone. Whatever he saw made him bolt upright. “Oh, crud.”

“What?” Theo glanced over with wide eyes. “Theo, everything okay?” Blinking, Theo looked back at the coffee table, heart pounding.

“We—we need to go—Pack meeting.”

+++

If Liam thought the drive to the McCall house was tense, he had no words to describe the state of the Pack meeting.

By the time they got to the front door, an unfamiliar smell had washed over him. That was off-putting enough. Even worse was the way that Theo had completely shut down. He wasn’t even holding Liam’s hand like he usually did, grip limp and almost lifeless. An odd glaze had fallen over his eyes, and he wouldn’t look directly at anything. The unfamiliar smell still pervaded the air, and Liam couldn’t get it out of his nose. It was almost overwhelming, the primal side of him screaming _stranger, threat, get it out._ Once upon a time, those words had been directed at Theo. These days, however, Liam’s primal side was less inclined to read him as Pack and more of as something…more. More and certainly not platonic in the slightest.

Squeezing Theo’s hand, Liam glanced over before opening the door. “Hey, Theo, everything’s going to be okay, alright? No one’s going to hurt you.” He hadn’t had to say that in a while. After a few Pack meetings, the only person who hadn’t quite accepted Theo as part of the Pack was probably Theo himself.

And maybe some of their absent members, but said absent members were…well, absent. They didn’t get to pick.

Dimly, he noticed Theo nod, but there wasn’t any other reply. That was okay, sometimes it happened. He was pretty sure it had happened before—sometimes Theo would spend long hours saying nothing, just existing and thinking. At least, Liam didn’t _think_ he was dissociating, but…he wasn’t sure now. _We’ll have to bring that up at the next session. Or at least I’ll have to talk to him about it. Make sure he’s okay._

_What the_ heck _is that smell?_

When he walked in the door, he frowned and glanced around. The rest of the Pack—Derek, Stiles, Scott, Isaac, Lydia, Malia, Corey, Mason, Melissa, Chris, Alec, Parrish, and Noah—were all there. Jenna and David were currently at work. “What is that smell?” Liam demanded, letting Corey and Mason take Theo over to the couch. Currently, Derek was on the phone, pacing the kitchen—the only way Liam knew he was there was by his scent and heartbeat. “And why the sudden Pack meeting?”

Scott and Stiles shared a glance before the wolf walked over, leaning close to Liam. “Peter and Cora are back. They came to check out what happened with ARCHER—we’ve been seeing signs of some hunters in the area, and they might be the same ones that created…that.” Frowning, Liam nodded, taking in the information. “They’re not too big of a problem. Once Derek explained to them that Theo was the one who’d gotten hurt, they seemed to understand that he’s Pack now. It’s the…other thing that we’re worried about.”

“What other thing?” Liam frowned, and Scott hesitated for a moment. Before he could reply, the unfamiliar scent swarmed the room, and every chemosignal from panic to annoyance to pure terror raced through the Pack at the stench. The bathroom door opened, and Liam turned, frowning, to see who this invader was. At the exact second his eyes fell on her, he understood.

“Hayden.”

+++

“Hayden.”

She smiled at him, actually _smiled_. For the first time in a long while, Liam felt a fresh surge of emotions towards her. Not a single one of them was what she wanted, though. “Hey, Liam. Long time no see.” _Seriously? You walk out on us and then_ that’s _how you come back?_ He glanced at the others, who were all trying to make it seem like Corey and Theo _weren’t_ invisible on the couch.

Now he got why Theo had shut down. He hadn’t looked at Theo’s phone, but he had a feeling if he did then he would have seen Scott sending a warning. Scott or someone else in the Pack. Theo had known that Hayden was going to be there, probably didn’t know how to react so he hadn’t told Liam. He’d shut down instead.

Dropping any pretense of niceties (after all, she did not belong there, her scent was _wrong_ and it _didn’t belong_ and it needed to _leave_ and take her with it), he didn’t even give her an expression. “What do you want, Hayden? Why are you here?”

She stepped closer, frowning in confusion. “I’m here because I’m back in Beacon Hills, Liam.” Getting _way_ too close for his liking, she took his hand. Sure, she’d always been confident, but this was straight-up annoying. “My sister and I moved back.”

“And?”

“And, I…” she sidled a little closer, and it was taking everything he had in him _not_ to shove her away. Dark eyes holding his, she smiled and murmured, “I wanted to give us another chance.”

Theo’s heartbeat stuttered behind him, and he closed his eyes, immediately stepping away. When he looked at her, Hayden almost seemed…hurt. “I’m with someone else, Hayden. I have been for a while.”

She frowned. “You never mentioned that.” For a few moments, he almost pointed out that he hadn’t been mentioning _anything_ to her, they hadn’t been talking. Then, he realised she must have been looking at his social media posts. Of course he wouldn’t say anything about Theo. The chimera was _private_ , especially now. Drawing attention was a pretty easy way to get him killed by…less _understanding_ members of the nearby Packs, and the absent members of their own. Even when the Pack who _had_ been around for ARCHER had seen what he was doing beforehand, they hadn’t trusted him.

“I haven’t _used_ my social media in _months_ , Hayden. And it’s pretty creepy that you’re…” he made a gesture, unsure how to word it, “but not talking to me. Seriously, not even a message? Why are you here?”

“I just told you that.”

“No, why are you _here_?” He indicated the McCall house. “This isn’t exactly one of your favourite places, and Scott only just called the Pack meeting. But you’ve been here a while. So—” He took a step towards her, not directly trying to be intimidating but wanting answers more than he wanted her to feel safe. She wasn’t Pack—at least not his. _Especially_ not his. “Why are you here?”

Frowning, Hayden studied his gaze for a second. “I thought you’d be happy to see me, Liam. Aren’t we friends?” He didn’t reply, and she sighed. “Okay, fine. I came back because I like it here and I missed being here, but then I saw this truck driving around town. I think Theo’s back.”

It was _so_ hard not to snort at that. Of course Theo was back. Couldn’t she smell it? (Well, maybe he _did_ smell less like the Dread Doctors and his truck and more like Liam and home now, which was something Liam had to be proud of).

“We’re well aware of that.”

She blinked. “And?”

“And what?”

“Aren’t we going to track him down? Send him back to where he belongs?” Scoffing, Liam shared a glance with Scott. “I’m serious. Don’t you remember what he did?” 

“Yeah, and we sent him to Hell. I’d say that’s a pretty bad punishment—and an unfair one, too.” Hayden snorted, and Liam shot her a look. “Do I need to remind you of all the bad stuff _you’ve_ done?”

“Liam, he’s a bad guy—”

“And you were part of his pack of chimeras. How can we trust you?” She gasped and glanced around, obviously looking for Corey.

“Well, what about Corey?”

“Corey’s proved himself.” Raising his voice, Liam added, “Everyone in this Pack has proven that they belong here, time and time again. The only one who hasn’t is you.”

“Theo is a threat! You can’t—” She stepped towards the couch and then froze. “Theo’s here. Right now.” Whipping around, she stared at Scott and Liam like they had turned into the Dread Doctors. “Are you _keeping him here?”_

Scott glanced over at Stiles, who nodded. Derek, meanwhile, had finished his call and had now reappeared in the living room. Meeting her gaze, Scott crossed his arms and straightened up, saying, “Maybe we are.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I’m the Alpha, Hayden. You can’t tell me what to do—you’re an Omega.” She glared at him venomously, but Scott simply shrugged. “You don’t have a Pack.”

“ _This_ is my Pack.”

“This _was_ your Pack. You left. None of us made the choice for you.” Stiles pointed out from the couch, and Hayden whirled around to glare at him. Scoffing, she glanced at the rest of them.

“I can’t—you can’t be serious.” Growling, she looked at Scott. “Fine. You want to keep that _monster_ here? That’s your problem. But don’t expect me to be all nice when he stabs you in the back like he will.” She stormed towards the door, then paused and turned back, “Oh, and by the way, you might want to ask him if he’s picked up any unfamiliar scents lately. There’s something big and metal in the woods by some cabin. I haven’t seen it, but I think there are hunters with it.”

Scott stared after her, and she slammed the door. On the couch, Corey and Theo still didn’t reappear, and Mason paused before reaching out and touching where they were. Apparently, his hand found them, because he glanced at Liam and nodded once. Going over while the innermost circle (meaning the parents, Derek, Stiles, Scott, Lydia, and Malia) chatted, Liam knelt in front of where the two chimeras were and reached a hand out. Corey took it, presumably put it on Theo’s leg. “Hey, Theo. It’s okay. You don’t have to reappear until you want to, okay?” Fingers found his, and he rubbed over the back of Theo’s hand. “It’s okay. And none of us are going to let her touch you. Just don’t leave me, okay? You going to promise me that?”

After a moment, he heard Theo quietly whisper something back. If he hadn’t been so close, hadn’t been a werewolf, he probably wouldn’t have caught it. “Promise.”

It was one neither would be able to keep, only they didn’t know it yet.

+++

If they had known what would happen in the woods, Liam would have taken Theo (and maybe the rest of the Pack) and run far, far away with him.

As it was, they were originally just walking through the Preserve. Peter and Cora had joined them, thankfully without making too much of a fuss about Theo’s existence. Actually, they hadn’t even acted as though anything had changed. Cora walked up and actually hugged the chimera, Peter gave him one of his trademark creepy-reassuring smiles, and that was that. The walk itself wasn’t a first in the slightest. But the cool air was helping Theo to calm down enough that he was actually talking, albeit just a little. But just a little was better than nothing at all and Liam would rather have that than lose Theo.

Not long after he’d started to recover his walking ability (it still wasn’t the best, but he no longer used his braces every two days or so), something had happened. Liam still wasn’t sure what, and neither was the rest of the Pack. Their easiest guess was that something had triggered some sort of attack, and Theo disappeared for three days in a row. When they found him in his truck, he was parked by Tara’s bridge. Altogether, he was okay, although he seemed to have fallen back on some of his old habits where he slept in his truck and decided to forgo eating. Part of Liam had an awful feeling that they were more than habits, that they were conditioning. Something the Dread Doctors had trained him to do,

He didn’t want to know what other conditioning Theo had.

Some of it he knew. Hiding injuries, hiding illnesses (they’d learned _that_ one all too recently), sometimes even lying without realising he was doing it. It wasn’t even about things that were life-changing—some of it was whether or not he’d seen a book or taken a shower recently. Most of it stemmed from the days where he was homeless, too. And he woke up insanely early, sometimes would take a shower. It wasn’t like that was normal.

But in the moments where they were on a Pack walk, relaxed and comfortable, Theo seemed okay. And that was enough for Liam.

Holding his boyfriend’s hand, he glanced over and smiled. Theo returned it after a second, then glanced back at the ground. Corey and Mason were a couple paces behind, chatting up a storm about something nerdy. “Hey, how do you feel? Need to sit down?” He asked, noticing how Theo’s legs were shaking just a little.

The chimera blinked and glanced over, then down at his legs. “No, I’m—I’m fine. Just a…a little nervous, I guess. Hayden didn’t seem too happy—”

“Well, Hayden can suck it up.” He hadn’t meant to interrupt, but for once Theo didn’t seem too annoyed by it. Ducking his head, he actually smiled just a little bit. Liam had to hold back another grin—he’d done a good. “Come on, Theo, Hayden’s probably going to come running back and apologising any moment now.” Pausing, he tilted his head up as he caught Hayden’s scent. “Oh my gosh, she might actually be running up. Scott!”

“I know! Hey, everyone up here, let’s pause for a little bit!” Scott called, and the pause was really an excuse to do a quick head count. Theo ducked close to Corey and Mason, even though he was practically inseparable from Liam. Immediately, Corey took his hand and Liam had to let go to make it easier for the chimeras to disappear.

Sure enough, minutes after he scented her, Hayden came bounding out of the woods, panting. “Oh, hey! I didn’t realise you were here.” She gasped out, doubled over. It was less from exhaustion and more from the fact she currently had an arrow in one shoulder. “We’ve got a bit of a problem, if you can’t tell.”

“A bit of a problem? Well, I’m just offended. What do you think, Jackson?” A light voice called, and the thick stench of herbs and magic swarmed the area. Eyes narrowed, Liam glanced up and around for the source of the voice. Meanwhile, a man emerged from the trees ahead, and Theo took a sharp breath.

“I think we need to teach these wolves a lesson. But first…look, pups, we’re here to make a deal. We don’t need to kill all of you.” That immediately set the Pack on edge, mostly because Melissa, Parrish, Jenna, David, _and_ Noah were all with them. Not that the hellhound was defenceless, but Chris was arguably better at fighting in some areas. Jackson leaned against a tree and looked up, arching an eyebrow. He looked nice—dark hair, pale skin tanned from working in the sunlight, with icy pale eyes. He had on a leather jacket and pants that absolutely did not work considering it was about eighty degrees out and they were in California. Either he wasn’t a native of he wasn’t normal. Possibly both. “Hey, Argent. What’s up?”

“Mr Hound. Are you the one behind ARCHER?” Chris asked, and Theo went even more stiff at Liam’s side. Fear rolled off him in waves, unrestrained and panicked. He _recognised_ this man.

Jackson grinned. “Nah, that would be my friend Nathaniel Chase. I think Mr Raeken recognises the name.” Clearing his throat, he ran a hand along the barrel of his gun and called, “Alright, Theo, why don’t you come out of where Corey’s hiding you? I know he’s doing that. We just want you, no one else.”

“Don’t move, Theo.” Stiles growled, pulling his metal bat from where it was secured to his back. “He’s not going to touch you.”

“Seriously? Just let him take him!” Hayden hissed, and Liam shot her a glare. So did several other members of the Pack (including Malia, who was growing more and more surprising by the day).

Chris adjusted his grip on his guns, holding Jackson Hound’s gaze. “Working with Cybil Whitney? Little outside your code, isn’t it?”

Jackson shrugged casually. “I needed some…help in upgrading Nathaniel’s little pets. Theo, if you’re not going to come out…I’d be happy to give you some…” He glanced at his nails calmly. “ _Incentive_. Artemis, Apollo, Orion! Order Seven-Five-Jaeger Alpha!”

Theo froze, as did the others, at the sound of something—no, _three_ things—tramping heavily through the undergrowth around them. Sunlight gleamed off silvery chrome as they emerged, and Theo gasped audibly. The others simply stared on in horror at what was in front of them. The monsters looked like dogs, if they had been made of metal and had multiple rows of vicious, sharp teeth. One of them had a crossbow attached to its back. Another had rows of spikes on its tail. The third had ridged claws, eight on each foot. Corey and Theo reappeared, and Liam glanced over at his boyfriend to see the fear in his eyes. That was when he understood.

_These_ were ARCHERs.

+++

Everything happened so fast, Liam wasn’t even sure what had happened.

One moment, they were all desperately trying to fight the ARCHERs, Peter and the adults and Hayden and Cora included. Within seconds, everyone was down, and the last thing Liam saw before he was killed was the ARCHER with the bow firing at him. The arrow hit right between his eyes.

Then he was awake, gasping and coughing, in his bed. Beside him, Theo was lying on his side. It was almost exactly like how they had woken up the morning of the ARCHERs, except…where was the paint on Theo’s face? They hadn’t had a chance to rub it off him.

“Theo? Theo, wake up, please.” Liam shook the chimera’s shoulder, and Theo groaned before cracking his eyes open. It was before dawn, and they had been cuddling all night from the feel of it.

“Liam? What—”

“I just—” Liam pulled Theo’s shirt up, checking for the fatal wounds he had seen there maybe twenty minutes before. “How did you heal from that?”

“Heal from what?”

“They—the ARCHERs. They killed you.” Frowning, Theo took Liam’s face and pulled him into a gentle kiss. On the nightstand, Liam’s phone was absolutely blowing up with messages. Breaking it off, Liam stared down at him. “You don’t remember that?”

Smiling, Theo shook his head. “That must have been a crazy dream you had. Well, a nightmare, really. Come here.” And then Theo pulled him into a hug.

Later, Theo left to go to the library, saying something about finding a book to ward off nightmares (Lord knew they didn’t _both_ need to have them). Liam went into the kitchen and glanced at the canvases. They were empty. _That was…this is so surreal…_ Shaking his head, Liam pulled out his phone.

He had three hundred messages, all of them from the group chat.

As soon as everyone realised he was on, they started spamming him. The only one who didn’t reply was Theo, whose phone was currently charging in the kitchen. Everyone else seemed to remember the situation—but why didn’t Theo?

Finally, Scott managed to clamp down, sending one message.

**Pack meeting, my house. Now.**

+++

“So, Theo doesn’t remember anything that happened yesterday?” Mason asked, looking up from where he was on the couch. Except for Hayden, Cora, Peter, and the adults who hadn’t shown up yesterday, everyone was there.

“Apparently not. I told him about it and he just excused it as a dream.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Liam glanced at Stiles. “Do you know anything about this?”

The young man just shrugged. “Never had a reason to research this kind of thing. Looking back, probably should have.” Derek gently touched his shoulder, and Stiles sent a smile his way.

“Well, since we’re going to have to figure out how to stop this, preferably soon…” Derek glanced at Chris. “You seemed to know the witch. Who is she?”

“Her name is Cybil Whitney. Most hunters just avoid her—she’s too dangerous to try and take out. Most of the time, she doesn’t cause too much damage. I think she just likes making really big plants.” Someone snorted, and Chris paused. “Does anyone have contact with Hayden? I think we should see if she knows about this.”

“She does. She didn’t stop by here earlier, and everything else happened almost exactly the way it would have if we haven’t interfered.” Stiles pointed out, and Scott nodded. All of a sudden, Liam froze.

“Wait, but what if she goes after Theo?”

“Why would she—” Stiles trailed off. “No, actually, that sounds exactly like what she would do. She might think he’s at least somewhat responsible. Liam, where did he say he was going?”

“The library.”

+++

They followed the scent of Theo’s truck away from the library and into the Preserve. It was drenched with Hayden’s scent as well, almost like she was forcing him to take a detour. Liam didn’t want to know why, nor did he want to know what he was going to do to her if she hurt him.

Then they were sprinting through the woods, all hands and noses on deck. Things seemed almost exactly the same as yesterday. The same rocks fell into the same canyons as they passed. The same deer stalked past and scattered when Isaac came too close. Heck, Liam was pretty sure that the _birdsong_ was the exact same pitch and warble.

The metallic tang of blood was different, though.

“Theo? Theo!” Liam cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting. He wasn’t sure where exactly the smell was coming from. Beside him, Isaac stiffened and raced ahead, howling their position to the others. He bounded around a corner, Liam on his heels.

Something hit Liam like a truck and sent him rolling down the hill before he could get Isaac in sight again.

He glanced up to see one of the ARCHERs above him, snarling with blood splashed on one side of its muzzle. Screaming, he punched it in the face, sending it flying back. Then he had scrambled to his feet and booked it away as fast as he could, heart pounding. The scent of blood only got thicker. “Liam!”

“Shut up!” That was Hayden’s voice. What was she doing? “This is your fault! They want you, and they want you dead!” Desperate, Liam threw his head back and howled, then followed the sound of Hayden’s voice. Theo let out a choked cry, like Hayden was stepping on his throat to stop him from howling. “Shut up! You’re not their Pack! You’ll never be Pack!”

“Theo!” Liam darted into the clearing, coming face to face with Hayden standing over Theo. “What are you doing, Hayden? This isn’t his fault!”

She glared at Liam, claws fully extended. Beneath her foot, Theo was struggling to get away, trying not to hurt her at the same time. “Jackson and Cybil weren’t going to kill anyone else! This is his fault! It’s his fault we’re stuck in this! We’re going to keep dying over and over until they get what they want, and that’s him dead.” She turned and raised her hand, claws already dripping with blood. There was a scratch across Theo’s cheek already, and he stared up at her with panicked eyes. “So I’m going to give them that.”

“No!” Liam tackled her, and Theo scrambled away. Then Hayden was fighting Liam, vicious and violent. She smashed him against a rock, and something in his hip snapped. Then, she dug her claws into the skin there, ripping at tendons as he screamed. Meanwhile, Theo stood frozen behind her, panting. It was painfully obvious he didn’t know what to do. “Hayden, stop! Please!”

“Hayden! This is inane! We can figure something else out!” Theo shouted, and Hayden turned and started advancing on him. Desperately, Liam tried to drag himself to his feet, but his hip wasn’t working. Blood pooled on the leaves around him. He would heal.

But Theo wouldn’t—not from whatever Hayden was planning to do to him.

Fear tangible in his green eyes, he stepped away from her, hands raised but claws sheathed. “Hayden, what are you doing? Please, we can figure something else out. Hayden! Hayden, listen to me!” Liam yelled, but she ignored him. When she got close enough, she slashed at Theo, landing two vicious slashes across his chest. “Hayden!”

“I’m stopping this, Liam. Right here, right now.” Liam heard a howl in the not-too-far distance. Tipping his head back, he howled as loudly as possible. Hayden, meanwhile, continued to advance on her prey.

“Hayden! Stop, please—no!” Theo let out another yelp as Hayden slashed him again, this time across the stomach. He wasn’t fighting back. Why wasn’t he fighting back? _“Hayden!”_

Growling, Hayden lunged. The next few seconds seemed to pass by in slow motion. In the background, Liam could hear the rest of the Pack running up. He could feel his hip healing enough that he could move, and he scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible. But he wasn’t fast enough.

Hayden’s claws tore straight through Theo’s chest, digging into where his heart was.

His eyes met Liam’s, a choked cry of pain escaping him as she dug her hand in further. Stumbling forwards, Liam collapsed to the ground a few feet away, eyes burning as Hayden twisted her hand and then ripped her claws from Theo’s chest. A jagged, violent gash was left behind, and Theo crumpled to his knees as she stepped back. Still holding Liam’s gaze, he blinked a few times…and then collapsed to the side.

_“Theo!”_

The chimera was lying on the ground a few feet away from him, covered in dirt and dead leaves and blood. Gasping, he held Liam’s gaze with pained eyes. Blood dripped from his lips, pooled beneath him from a jagged wound in his chest. His last—Theo’s last words echoed in his mind, desperate and choked.

_“_ Hayden! Stop, please—no! _Hayden!”_ He hadn’t fought back. Why hadn’t he fought back? He’d been _begging_ her _._ Why hadn’t she _stopped_?

Liam crawled the last few feet to Theo’s side. Already, with each heartbeat, the light in those beautiful eyes of his faded. Blood pulsed from the tears in his chest, from his shredded lungs and ravaged heart. The wounds were too deep—even a werewolf’s healing wouldn’t be able to save him. With light fingers, Liam gently brushed Theo’s cheek, earning a low moan from the chimera. “Come on, Theo, stay with me. You need to stay with me, please. You promised.”

Footsteps came running up—the rest of the Pack. “Oh…Hayden, what did you do?” Stiles whispered distantly, and Liam noticed Theo’s eyes were drifting shut. Horrified, he straightened up, ignored the screaming of his own wounds, and pulled Theo into his arms. Stiles went and crouched by his side, touching Theo’s knee. From the look on his face, it was obvious he knew Theo wouldn’t make it, either.

Chest fluttering with each ragged breath, Theo stared up at Liam. Tears ran down his cheeks, leaving tracks in the dirt smudged there. A little bit of paint was left by his eyes. With a bloodied hand and a red bout of coughing, he reached up and rubbed Liam’s cheek, swept a thumb under his eye. Liam grabbed his hand, pressing it closer.

Swallowing, Theo forced out a choked cry, a few thorn-edged words past his own blood. “I—I love…” Another weak cough wracked him and he frowned, grasping Liam’s hand like it was a lifeline. Like it was the only thing keeping him able to force out one more word. “…you…”

With a shaky breath, he went limp against Liam’s chest, eyes staring up at something past Liam’s shoulder. For a moment, everything narrowed down to nothing more than him and Theo. Liam clutched the chimera closer and stared up at the sky, an unfairly blue and cloudless and careless one.

_“Theo!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As if this chapter could not be bad enough…it gets worse. Way worse, actually. Now, I don’t hate Hayden as much as it probably seems. Yes, I think she’s a jerk (probably my protective feelings for Liam; one of my brothers is special needs and I admittedly see him in a lot of stuff Liam does, even though they don’t have the same thing). I do think that she’s confident but in the way that only jerks are, unlike Malia and Lydia and Allison and Braeden. Just my thoughts.  
> The next chapter is “This Cannot Be Happening”. If it follows the same pattern as “Geometric Sequence” did, then it’s going to be around the same length (this chapter took the story from eight pages to twenty-four). That chapter is going to be tough, as some of the darker tags listed in these do appear there. Apologies in advance.  
> Now, into the fray once more!


	4. This Cannot Be Happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pack are forced to watch Theo die over and over again with no end in sight. With no pattern to figure out how to stop it, they can’t do much more than watch as the deaths get increasingly more painful. While Theo may not be aware, however, they are, and they’re not sure how long they can take watching him die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from after the chapter was finished: I need a nap I’ve been up for thirty something hours and I was already sleep-deprived. A nap and bagels.  
> The notes that I had earlier:  
> And this is where some of those tags happen. Yeah, they’re updated because the whole event is honestly really brutal. For those of you who really like whump…this is probably going to be fun for you. This is the chapter where, basically, everyone gets hurt, it’s just not physical for some. I’m not kidding, I have a list and Theo dies about sixty-one different times for this whole fic.  
> Anyways, while I’m avoiding my film class homework, let’s get on with the fic!

When he woke up the next morning at Theo’s side, Liam clung to him, sobbing, like he was the last thing holding him to earth.

Theo, of course, didn’t remember dying. He didn’t remember the ARCHERs. He didn’t remember Hayden ripping his chest and internal organs to shreds. Actually, he seemed pretty confused when the Geyer-Dunbar family insisted on spending some time together. After…after Hayden killed Theo, Liam had told his parents everything, fallen asleep crying with them. For him to be back was…insane, to say the least. But the day had gone pretty well so far, and they actually went for a walk.

Theo was hit by a car as they crossed the street.

“Theo!” Liam raced to his side immediately after hearing the nasty series of snaps as Theo hit the ground. The car screeched to a stop, driver clearly having realised they had just hit someone. “Theo, come on, you have to hold on. Mom, call an ambulance!” Jenna nodded, pulling her phone out. Meanwhile, Liam pulled Theo into his arms. The hit hadn’t been that bad, he should have survived it.

Right?

David crouched by him, pressing two fingers to Theo’s neck. Blood trailed from the chimera’s nose, and his eyes were half-closed. When Liam glanced at his dad, he saw something beyond grief cross his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see—” The driver leaned heavily on the hood of their car. “Is he dead?”

David reached over and closed Theo’s eyes, as gentle as possible. “He broke his neck in the fall.”

“What?” _But he’s survived something like that before. I saw him._ Glancing down, Liam shook Theo once. “Come on, Theo, this isn’t funny. You need to wake up.” There was no movement, and he realised he couldn’t hear Theo’s heartbeat. A broken, choked noise left him as he cradled Theo closer. “I’m sorry.”

That night, the Pack realised this wasn’t a coincidence anymore.

It was a pattern.

And until they figured out what spell had caused it, the pattern was going to continue.

+++

Every day, without fail, Liam woke up with Theo at his side.

Every day, Theo died. Sometimes it was more gruesome than the day before, but every time was just as bad as the first.

The only saving grace was that he didn’t remember any of it. Anytime someone asked, he would just tilt his head and comment on it being a bad dream. Stiles and Lydia said something about a perception filter. No matter what, Theo wouldn’t remember what had happened to him when the day started over.

Every day, no matter how hard they tried to save him, Theo died.

Again.

And again.

And again.

A vicious cycle of one death after the other. The Pack wasn’t sure how much they could take, watching him die repeatedly. Sometimes they were there to pick up the aftermath, though, they weren’t always there when it happened.

The worse part was when they were the _cause_ of the death.

It was never on purpose. If Theo could remember, then he wouldn’t blame any of them. He wouldn’t blame Lydia for screaming so close to him, or Parrish for practicing with some fire and accidentally catching him with it. He wouldn’t blame any of them. Well, except maybe Hayden. She was the only one who _had_ done it on purpose. After the first time, she didn’t have time to kill him. He’d gotten into two fatal car crashes, dying of a snapped neck and then an _explosion_ because apparently some of the roads through Beacon Hills could have trucks carrying _flammable chemicals_ on them. He was electrocuted twice. Once, he actually died of _food poisoning._ Twice, Jackson Hound and his two buddies tracked him down without the ARCHERs (which were still wandering through). Those days were the worst—the Pack didn’t know what had happened at first. The first time it happened, they had been waiting for him at a Pack meeting when there was a knock at the door. Theo had stumbled in, covered in his own blood, and died in Malia’s arms when she caught him. Liam hadn’t even been there yet.

Then Hayden got her claws on him—three more times.

Every time she did, it was brutal. Once, they’d gotten him to the hospital, managed to get him into surgery. They’d had to leave, tracking down a possible cure for the spell, talking to Deaton. Then Melissa had called in the middle of it all, told them that Theo had crashed on the table and they couldn’t bring him back.

A lot of nights, Liam went to bed sobbing.

It was having an effect on the rest of the Pack, too, except for Hayden (but she wasn’t Pack, _especially_ after what she did to Theo). Other than the fact that they were invariably knocked out at midnight by some supernatural force, Liam was pretty sure that Stiles, Derek, Scott, Lydia, and Malia weren’t sleeping at all. They were desperately trying to find answers. Isaac, Corey, Mason, Parrish, the adults, and even Peter and Cora spent their time trying to make sure Theo wasn’t killed. Liam usually tried to help, but after the fifth time Theo was killed he’d started to give up.

The morning after Theo had been ripped apart by Hayden for the third time, Liam woke up to a cold bed. Jerking upright, he glanced around, breath caught in his throat. Something was wrong.

Something was very, _very_ wrong.

+++

This was a bad situation, and Derek knew it just as much as Theo did.

The hunters who had caught them—Jackson Hound and his company—weren’t just going to settle for a little bloodshed. No, the one who had created the ARCHERs—Jackson’s friend Nathaniel—wanted more than that. They were aware of the time loop, too, mocked Theo and the Pack for their inability to keep the chimera alive. On top of all of that, Nathaniel wanted to tear Theo apart, but he wanted to make it hurt as much as possible.

And he did.

They’d already hurt them plenty. One of the times when the hunters had killed Theo before, Noah and Parrish were in the Preserve looking for the chimera. They found his truck and him in his full shift, covered in blood and lying by an open door like he had been making some last-ditch effort to get to shelter. A massive bear trap was still locked around one of his forelegs, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Yes, the bear trap was bad—horrific, actually—but it had nothing on how his opposite flank was torn open and that leg shredded. According to Parrish, it was practically torn off. Part of it _was_ —everything below Theo’s knee was missing.

When they were finally left alone, Theo wasn’t in much better shape than he had been then. Deep gouges marred his back and shoulders and chest. The metallic tang of blood and disgusting stench of scorched flesh filled Derek’s nose to the point his eyes were watering. Nathaniel dropped Theo on the ground and scowled at Derek. “You can leave now, if you want. He’s not going to make it, anyways.” After unlocking the chains, he turned and left. Derek allowed him to go, deciding to race to Theo’s side instead.

By the time he got there, he realised Nathaniel was right. When he’d read books, read someone writhing in pain, he always thought the author was being dramatic, maybe even the character. But Theo wasn’t that kind of person, especially not now, and he was barely holding it together. As Derek pulled the chimera to his chest, all he could think of was Paige. “Hold on, Theo, the others will be here soon, we’ll get you out of here.”

Chest heaving, Theo let out a cry as soon as Derek moved too much, eyes squeezed shut. Even when Derek tried pulling some pain, it wasn’t working, didn’t do much of anything except quiet him down a little. Not much, though, and certainly not enough. “Derek…”

“No, don’t talk, save your strength.”

“Outside…please…” Theo coughed and cried out again, a shaking hand going to the massive gash in the side of his ribs. It was one they needed to treat, or else his lungs would collapse, but they didn’t have the time nor materials. “Just…get me…outside…”

_He doesn’t want to die here._ Derek realised, scooping the chimera up. At the movement, Theo screamed, trying to curl in on himself and shaking as his body refused. Turning, Derek carried him out of the cabin they had been trapped in, into the Preserve. Trying to be as gentle as possible, he set him down by one of the closest trees, hating how much pain he was causing in addition to what the hunters had done. Theo was actually sobbing now, chest heaving and teeth gritted. When he coughed, red painted his lips.

“Okay, Theo, just hold on.” He turned to howl, but Theo grabbed his hand. Past the blood trailing into his eyes, he held Derek’s gaze like it was a lifeline.

“Derek, please. I can’t…I don’t want Liam…” He trailed off with another cough. “Not like this…please…”

For a few moments, Derek didn’t understand. Then he realised what he was going to have to do. Ignoring how Theo looked so much like Paige in that moment, he knelt by the chimera’s side. “What do you want me to do? To tell them?”

Swallowing, tears running down his face (although Derek couldn’t tell if they were from sadness or pain), Theo choked out, “That it didn’t hurt. That it’s not their fault. I wasn’t alone.” After a second, he glanced at Derek and added, quietly, “Just make it fast, please.”

Derek nodded, put his hand on Theo’s neck. Clearly, Theo expected something different, closing his eyes the second the touch happened. Instead, Derek pulled as much pain as he could, then pulled Theo into a hug. The chimera went stiff, then wrapped his arms around Derek’s waist as best he could. “I’m sorry, Theo. Everything’s going to be okay.” Derek murmured, feeling the chimera nod against his shoulder.

It took a second and a half at most. One heartbeat, Derek was still holding him like that. The next, Theo was limp against him, the dying echo of a snapped neck echoing out into the air. The chimera’s arms fell from around his waist, and a soft exhale escaped Theo’s body.

When Derek walked into the McCall house many painful hours after it, he was cradling Theo in his arms.

+++

“Okay, guys, not that I’m not loving all the attention, but…is there…” Pausing, Theo took a moment to think over his words. “Is there any particular reason for it? Because it’s kind of new.”

At the moment, he was trapped in a puppy/human/banshee/Pack pile in Derek’s loft. He wasn’t complaining, and no one took it that way. After Derek had killed him out of mercy (they had chalked that up to the hunters, and that was the day they found out they could take notes and keep them around), he had been killed in yet another car crash. And caught in three traps. And poisoned again. Twice. The hunters had gotten to him again, this time hanging him from a tree on the shore by Tara’s bridge.

To say _that_ was traumatic was an understatement, even if he hadn’t been hurt in any other way.

“Maybe we just want to spend time with you.” Corey mumbled into the other chimera’s neck, and Theo glanced at Liam, who was on his other side. “Do you want to do something else?”

“No, I’m—this is nice, actually. Just…weird? Still touch-starved, I guess.” Liam laughed and kissed him gently, and Theo pulled away before attempting to move. All of a sudden, he made a slightly pained face. “Oh, crap. That’s not fun.”

“What? What’s wrong?” They all seemed way too concerned for what Theo seemed to think was appropriate, seeing as he leaned away and then tried stretching his leg out.

“My leg fell asleep? You guys have been acting weird lately, something wrong?” They all looked at each other.

Finally, the adults all shared a look with the team’s senior members, and Melissa nodded. “Well, Theo…” Lydia pulled out the notepad she’d been marking Theo’s deaths on. He took it and read it over. “We’re sort of…stuck in a time loop.”

Frowning, he flipped through the pages. “So, I’ve been…tortured to death? That’s lovely, wouldn’t be the first time…” Everyone stared at him in mild horror, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Hayden’s killed me three times? Does she have a grudge against me, or did she—no, she probably thought killing me would end the loop, I guess.”

“You’re taking this pretty calmly for someone who just found out he’s been dying repeatedly for the past couple weeks.” Stiles mused, and Theo glanced at him.

“I’m not really the one who’s suffering, though. I mean, look.” He started counting up all the different ways he had died. “I’ve died twenty-two different times already, but I don’t remember any of that. I keep waking up next to Liam in bed. You’re the ones who have lived through three weeks of me dying everyday.” Squinting, he asked, “Wait, did Parrish and Lydia kill me?” They both ducked their heads and avoided his gaze. “Hey, don’t blame yourselves. The people who did this are the ones to blame, and I’m not feeling anything anyways.” Squirming out of the Pack pile, he stretched, wincing when the leg that had been taken off by the hunters bugged him, and asked, “Now, why don’t we all go for a walk and get some fresh air. It’ll be nice.”

They did follow his suggestion, even though it probably wasn’t a good idea.

As they were walking, spread out with Theo in the middle of the Pack, he and Liam chatted. “Are you doing okay with all of this?” He asked, and Liam stared at him.

“I should be asking you that. You’re the one who just found out he’s died repeatedly.” Theo shrugged, staring at the concrete and counting cracks as they walked. “I mean, Theo, don’t expect me to think you’re not scared of dying.”

“When I was in Hell, Tara ripped my heart out over and over again. I still remember that.” Running a hand through his bangs, he added, “None of you knew. This time, the roles are switched. I think we should be more worried about what happens to you than anything else.”

With a sigh, Liam nodded, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. When they were walking along one of the roads through town, he noticed another family was walking their way. They had a little girl with them, and she was playing with a little dog toy.

None of them realised what was happening except for Theo, and by then it was too late.

The girl’s toy had gone into the street somehow, and she raced after it. Before anyone could stop him, Theo was with her, and there was a car bearing down on them. He wrapped his arms around her, shielded her body with his, and did nothing else. There wasn’t anything he could do.

As soon as the car passed, not even bothering to stick around (sucks for them, Stiles and Noah had already written down their plate number, even though they wouldn’t prosecute them before the day reset), they saw Theo crawl up onto the other side of the street, the girl still in his arms. “Theo!” Liam bolted across the street with Noah on his heels. Despite the fact he was the one who was hurt, Theo was trying to console the girl. Noah scooped her up and took her back to her parents, while Liam grabbed on to Theo. “Hold on, it’s—you’re okay.”

“I’m not, Liam.” Smiling weakly, Theo let his head fall against Liam’s chest, blinking a few times. “Can’t even tell what’s wrong this time. Guess I’m just lucky that way.”

By the time they got to the hospital, Theo was gone.

+++

Theo hadn’t been home when Liam woke up, and hadn’t been for a while from the feel.

Immediately, he had known something was wrong. Theo hadn’t left a note saying where he was, and the last time that had happened he had come home in Derek’s arms covered in wounds and with a broken neck from a mercy killing. So they had gathered up the Pack and gone looking, following the scent into the Preserve.

They all knew they were more likely to find him dying than alive.

As they walked, no one spoke. No one joked around. Everyone kept their eyes and ears and noses open. On occasion, something would move deeper in the woods, but Lydia was the one in the front. After all, she was the one known for finding bodies.

Speaking of Lydia, she had frozen where she stood, eyes wide.

“Lydia?” Parrish touched her shoulder, glancing at the Sheriff. They helped her to sit down on a nearby rock. “Lydia, what do you see?”

A soft sob escaped her after a long while, and she looked up. “He’s gone. We’re too late.” Blinking, she stared at the path ahead. “They-they killed him.”

Scott and Stiles shared a look. In front of them, Liam collapsed to his knees, Corey and Mason beside him in moments. Meeting Lydia’s gaze, Stiles cleared his throat and said, “Let’s go get him home, then.”

They still remained silent as they went through the woods, some running ahead, desperate to find their lost Pack member, As they moved, the reek of blood increased exponentially. Finally, they came to a clearing, and Malia stopped and blocked the younger members’ view, blocked them from walking in. Despite Alec’s protests, Derek and Parrish helped, too. Stiles and the other senior members glanced ahead. “Oh, Theo…” Noah trailed off while Stiles and Scott ran to the tree Theo was bound to. Running a hand over his face, Noah glanced at the others.

“What is it?” Mason asked, trying to look. Except for Stiles and Scott, however, the others were blocking the view. Derek glanced over his shoulder and sighed.

“It’s called the Threefold Death.” He murmured. Stiles and Scott cut the ropes, released the garrotte like Theo could still feel what they were doing. The chimera’s body fell into Stiles’ arms, and he pulled him close. With gentle fingers, he closed Theo’s eyes, then nodded to Derek, allowing the youngers to sprint over. After a second, he actually pressed a kiss to Theo’s hair, maybe without meaning to, a wordless apology for not getting there fast enough.

After that, things changed—and they got much, much worse.

+++

Theo had jumped off a bridge.

No one knew why, and Liam wasn’t sure if he remembered something because he didn’t the next day. That morning, he’d seemed fine, though. Nothing had been off about him. The day before, he’d been killed by some random guy who attacked him with a knife. The serrated edge had done so much damage to his wrists, he died in Scott’s arms before they could do anything for him. They couldn’t even call an ambulance.

Maybe that was it.

All Liam knew was that he had come home from the store (he couldn’t remember what he was getting, maybe ice cream or something else) to find a note on Theo’s desk. He barely got a few lines in before he had called the Pack. By then, though, it was too late. Parrish and the Sheriff found him under one of the oldest bridges in town, one rarely used.

That morning, Liam clung to him like Theo would vanish if he let go. Unlike before, the chimera didn’t say anything to him, just held him close and said nothing. They stayed like that for a long while.

Later, Liam made the mistake of leaving the house, and came back to find Theo cradled in Scott’s arms. When he realised it was the full moon, he suddenly realised what had happened.

He cried himself to sleep again that night—it was starting to become common.

+++

It took four more deaths—drowning, another suicide (slashed wrists), and two more hunter attacks—before they realised they _could_ change where Theo was.

They had just left him where they had put him the night before, on the couch, and then all fallen asleep in Derek’s loft. Much to everyone’s surprise, they woke up where they had slept, and Theo was there, too. Actually, he had been making breakfast when they all decided having him near open flame was a bit too risky for their tastes. So, he had been banished to the cuddle pack pile on the couch while the adults (excluding Derek and Parrish) finished up breakfast.

Theo didn’t seem to mind the cuddles, although he _did_ seem none too happy about being kicked out of the kitchen. As if he hadn’t had to do enough for them for the past month, even if he didn’t remember any of it.

Little did the Pack know, they only had one more death that they wouldn’t be around for.

“So, are we going to go anywhere, or…?” He trailed off, tilting his head, and Liam slammed him back into the couch when he tried to move. “Oh, that’s a no. Okay, this is fine.” When Liam settled in on him and started combing his fingers through Theo’s hair, all those with supernatural smell in the room suddenly got the familiar scent of shock, followed by contentment and the sweet tang of love. As cheesy as it sounded, the scents were rolling off of Theo in little waves. “That’s definitely fine.” He settled back into Malia, who happened to be behind him (they maybe not maybe had begun fighting over who got to be closest to him after the thirteenth time he died). “Yeah, okay, I’m cool with this.”

Nothing actually happened that day, which was interesting. They stayed home, did next to nothing but bum around watching _Supernatural_ and some crappy Netflix remakes. They shouted about the live-action remakes of classic Disney movies. The old discourse about that came back around, and Stiles brought out frosting jars for everyone. It was kind of disgusting, really, how fast the supernaturals went through the stuff. Only Stiles was faster (everyone had a feeling that was from past experience of hiding that habit from his dad).

Later in the night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Liam woke up when Theo shifted next to him. Something was off about the chimera—he smelled wrong. “Theo? Everything okay?” He glanced up, noticed Theo’s eyes seemed slightly glazed. Blinking, he looked over at Liam and smiled.

“Yeah, Liam, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just…kind of gotta go to the bathroom.” Squirming, he slipped free of Derek’s arm, which had fallen around his waist at some point, and then dipped down to kiss Liam’s forehead. “Love you, little wolf.”

Laughing softly and quizzically, Liam tilted his head. “I love you, too, Theo.” _Aren’t you going to be back in a couple minutes?_ Theo vanished into the hallway, and Liam rolled over to go back to sleep. His mind kept wandering though, rolling over how Theo had looked in his mind, the words he had said. He almost seemed…sad? But why would he—

_Wait._

_Why did that sound like a goodbye?_

He jolted upright, waking several members of the rest of the Pack. Before saying anything else, he was racing for the bathroom. “Theo? You okay in there?”

“Liam? What the heck is going on?” Scott asked, and Liam turned to look at him. Apparently, the fear in his eyes was obvious.

“Something’s wrong with Theo. I don’t know what, I just know.” Scott turned and went to the door, knocking once. Normally, if they’d done anything like that, Theo would have yelled at them to stop being so weird. But he wasn’t saying anything.

That’s when Liam smelled blood.

The clock in the living room chimed midnight, and Scott busted the door open. Whatever he saw, he paled, then shoved Liam back down the hallway. “Don’t look, everything’s fine, it’s going to reset any second now.” He whispered, and Liam stared at him. “I think the spell made him—”

“Made him what?” Staring at the Alpha, Liam felt his heart drop to his feet as he realised what it could be. The look in Theo’s eyes had been different.

Before he could do anything else, the world changed around him.

+++

Theo seemed very confused when, in the morning, everyone dogpiled him again from six am until noon.

He still didn’t complain. Instead, he asked Liam if he wanted to go for a drive with him—alone. They hadn’t explained the time loop to him, not wanting to stress him out. They’d all noticed that, at some point, the scars on his wrists seemed a little younger than they used to be.

So Liam said yes, and they were driving through the middle of town.

“If it’s okay with you, I thought we might try and pick up some ice cream or something. Everyone just seems so stressed, it might help if we put on a movie.” Theo mused, holding Liam’s hand in the centre of the truck. Somehow, Liam hadn’t burst into tears, hadn’t broken down and told Theo he’d killed himself again. Hadn’t asked him why. He wasn’t sure Theo would be able to explain, anyways. It wasn’t like he’d done it, not consciously. They’d figured that, if nothing killed him before midnight, the spell made him do it himself.

But it didn’t explain some of the other deaths.

He decided not to bring that up. If Theo ever remembered what happened (and Liam prayed he didn’t), then they would talk about it, but that was that. And besides, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to talk about Theo killing himself anyways. Kind of a depressing topic.

They pulled to a stop, and Liam glanced over at Theo with a smile. Meanwhile the chimera tilted his head. “What?”

“Just looking at my amazing boyfriend.” Theo snorted, rolling his eyes, and Liam nudged him. “I’m serious, Theo. I love you.”

“You sound like Mason.” The light flashed to green, and Theo began to pull into the intersection. When he glanced Liam’s way, something crossed his face, and he jerked the steering wheel to the side. Then his hand was on Liam’s neck, and the last thing Liam felt was his neck snapping.

Later, when he woke up in the loft, he found out what happened. It was fairly early in the morning. A trucker was going on his merry way. Either his brakes failed or he ran a red, but he had crashed into the driver’s side of Theo’s truck. Liam was already dead by then, killed by Theo. Stiles and Malia had gotten there within moments, just long enough to see what had gone from a devastating crash to a calamity. It was a foggy morning, people were trying to find their way and then just ended up colliding with the truck.

It had taken seven hours for Theo to die after the crash. Stiles had managed to crawl onto the hood of the truck, but Theo’s body had been crushed by the door and the dashboard and a million other things. The paramedics had no hope of getting him out in time, and Malia was trying to pick her way across for the better part of an hour. Theo hadn’t let her take his pain, just let her and Stiles talk to him. Towards the end, Stiles managed to convince Theo to let them hold his hand.

It had taken seven hours for Theo to die after the crash.

+++

“Okay, Theo, it’s okay, you’re okay.”

Theo was lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. A hike. They had gone on another hike, and of all the things to happen…Theo had gotten bitten by a snake.

Seriously, they just could not catch a break.

And of course, he was dead before they even got to the hospital. At this point, Liam could barely pay attention to what happened.

The next couple of deaths passed by in a similar order, too. Liam had gone with Corey and Mason to get something out of the truck while they were at the lake. Theo drowned while they were gone, killed by a water monster of some sort.

So they avoided water the next day like the plague. He got in a car crash. Again.

No matter what they did, Theo kept dying.

He was shot at the grocery store trying to protect the cashier from an armed robber. Everything happened so fast, all Peter and Cora saw was Theo moving and the gun flashing in the lights before the chimera was on the ground, bleeding from where the bullet hit between his eyes.

He shoved Scott and Malia out of the way of electrified water and collapsed, getting shocked repeatedly.

The hunters tore him apart—literally. They found him in the woods later. Then they shot him to death and left him on the McCalls’ doorstep, mocking them. He died in Melissa’s arms before they could do anything.

Liam, Isaac, and Malia all killed him by accident on three separate occasions. Isaac had been fighting one of the ARCHERs. Malia had stabbed one of the hunters, Tony, and ended up getting Theo, too. Liam had tried punching something—he couldn’t remember what—and ended up slashing Theo’s throat instead. Each time, he didn’t seem angry. Just sad.

He got hit by another car. The driver was drunk, claimed she didn’t see him right in front of her.

Parrish and Noah accidentally shot him on different occasions. That hurt, too, seeing the guilt on their eyes as Melissa and David came and told them Theo hadn’t made it.

Some random guy found him and slashed his wrists again, killed him before anyone had the chance to react before running off screaming about monsters.

The ARCHERs took him out two more times. Once was because of five slashes from his hips to his collarbone, vicious ones that bled everywhere. They only found him as he was dying—he’d fought alone. The other time, he’d managed to blow the other one up, but he didn’t have the chance to tell them how before he died from the shrapnel embedded in his body.

Then he happened to be stuck in a burning building. Parrish went in after him. They both died that day when the building came down.

Later he got crushed by a tree on a hike. David and Jenna had been the only ones able to comfort him, the others having to fight off Cybil. Everyone died, but apparently Theo called David “Dad” by accident. No one talked about that.

He got poisoned, which was bad. Liam hadn’t thought that the times before could be considered easier, but seeing Theo dying in a hospital bed while they could only hope the antidote could be made in time was difficult enough. They couldn’t give him any painkillers or anaesthetics. By the time the antidote was ready, his heart had already given out for good.

He and Stiles had been in the Jeep when it exploded somehow. They both died, too. Parrish had been forced to pull them out. Stiles didn’t want to talk about it afterwards, but he refused to go anywhere near the open flame of the stove.

+++

Eventually, three deaths after the Jeep exploded (he was hung again, although no one knew if he’d done it himself this time; the hunters killed him again; then he died saving Malia from one of the ARCHERs), Liam stopped paying attention to what happened.

He just couldn’t take it anymore. Most of the Pack seemed just as exhausted as he was. They were tired of watching Theo die day in and day out, of being unable to do anything about it. They needed a break.

But when he was walking along the trails in the woods and smelled Theo’s scent, he couldn’t help but look for him. There wasn’t any blood, but something else was wrong. When he realised he was heading for Tara’s bridge, he sprinted. All he could think of was the overdose, and the slashed wrists, and the fact Theo had jumped off a bridge. The renewed presence of old cuts that none of them knew how they had actually gotten there.

Theo was lying on his stomach on the shore, eyes half-closed. Liam ran down the shore to him, pulled him close.

It took two minutes to realise he was gone by then, taken by hypothermia just like his sister once had.

+++

The next time Theo died, it was by a trap.

Liam hadn’t been with Derek and Stiles when they found him, thankfully. Stiles wasn’t sure the young Beta could handle much more of his boyfriend dying. But this…even for hunters, it was brutal.

At first, Stiles thought it was just someone’s dog. Tragic, sure, but certainly not the same as a _person_ dying. Then Derek had freaked out and run to the animal’s side, and Stiles followed him, and then he realised that it was Theo. The trap itself wasn’t like the ones he’d been caught in before. A tight loop of wire was caught around his neck, squeezing the life out of him.

Derek had removed it from Theo’s neck, then pulled the chimera’s body into his arms and held him close. There was nothing they could do. To make matters worse, the chimera had died alone.

As Stiles ran his hands through Theo’s fur, he found himself praying that he had known the Pack loved him.

+++

“Okay, look, you need to tell me what’s wrong. Something’s obviously up.” Theo finally announced, cornering everyone in Derek’s loft. It had been a day after they found him in the woods, torn to shreds by some kind of wild animal. From the looks of it, a mountain lion or a bear. It had been violent and bloody, almost obscenely so.

Everyone glanced at him, except for Lydia. Currently, she was looking over the list of deaths. It had grown significantly. Too much for any one of them to handle, to even look at without tearing up. “You’re going to die today, Theo.” She finally said, and he looked at her. After a few moments, he blinked.

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s all you have to say? You’re _dying_ and all you can say is _‘okay’?_ ” Liam snapped, and Theo stared at him, almost wounded, for a moment. “Do you even know what—no, of course you don’t.”

Theo froze up and looked away before taking a deep breath. “Look, it’s fine. It wouldn’t be the first—”

He let out a sharp noise, and everyone glanced at him before freezing. For a few seconds, he didn’t seem to believe it himself. One hand very calmly went to his throat, where the injury was.

It was a crossbow bolt.

“Theo!” Chris was on his feet in a second, running over and catching the young man as he fell to his knees. Gasping, Theo held onto his neck, and Chris glanced at the others. “Someone get a towel!” Everyone was frozen to place, however. Those with exceptional hearing could hear Theo’s heart force out a couple more beats.

Then he was gone—again.

+++

The worst was another one of the days where they thought Theo was fine.

They had decided to go on a walk through town again, carefully avoiding anything and everything that had been a problem so far. Unfortunately, the hyper-vigilance was taking a toll on those who hadn’t slept well the past couple of days except for the hours they were forced to be unconscious. Sure, six hours was six hours, but after watching Theo die over and over again with no end in sight? Sometimes Liam just wanted to curl up and take a break.

This was the closest they got, actually, to taking a break.

It was nearing evening, and so far, Theo still hadn’t died yet. Liam took it as a good sign, one that he was okay and maybe that day things were going to change. Maybe the spell had a time limit.

Theo had wandered off for about three minutes, and no one knew what he was doing but he came back with a sad smile on his face for a few moments. After that, they’d eaten at the local Chick Fil A (normally, Liam wouldn’t, but Stiles jokingly pointed out that they could piss off a few homophobes by having “three of the gayest couples in town” eating there; sure enough, it did, and the manager finally had to chase off the Pack because Isaac and Scott decided they were going to get stuck in the play structure [Liam would have claimed it was because she was homophobic, except she had a pride pin on her uniform and she had literally chased off three homophobes who were harassing them with a broom twenty minutes earlier]). He talked to everyone while they were there, taking up way too many of the outside tables and probably being way too loud. But they were having fun, and he seemed happy for once.

When they were walking back, he collapsed.

Liam held him again, and no one knew what to do. They all recognised the distinct stench of wolfsbane, but Theo seemed oddly calm. Instead of freaking out, he just curled into Liam’s side and stayed there. No one slept that night, instead staying in the hospital.

When they woke up at the loft the next morning, Theo was off with the parents when Corey finally announced that Theo had overdosed on purpose.

+++

The last time Hayden attacked Theo, Liam couldn’t do anything about it.

She’d managed to break Liam’s legs again, outright attacking him instead of trying to hide it. They hadn’t even been doing anything wrong. They had just been running through the woods, for once not having to worry about anything too bad.

And then Hayden had appeared, broken Liam’s legs, thrown him down a small cliff, and then gone for Theo.

All Liam could hear was his boyfriend screaming. From pain and begging her to stop and trying to get away and even call for help from the rest of the Pack. No one was coming, though. It had been agreed that Theo and Liam could have the day to themselves. Looking back, Liam almost regretted saying yes to that.

Eventually, Liam managed to crawl up the slope, feeling rocks cut into his stomach and his bones start to reset themselves with ugly snaps. By the time he got up there, Hayden was already gone and Theo was halfway to dead.

“Theo. Theo, come on, you gotta look at me. Theo. Theo!” Hauling himself over, Liam pulled himself upright by the chimera’s side. The chimera let out a quiet cough, and relief flooded through Liam’s chest at the sound, even though it was rattling and heartrending. “Hold on, I got you. I got you.” He pulled Theo into his arms, cradled him close.

Theo grabbed at Liam’s arm, smiling weakly. “It’s okay, little wolf. I’m okay.” With a weak, red cough, he took a shuddering breath and added, “I’m okay.”

Cradling him closer, Liam sobbed. “You’re not. You’re not okay, Theo, you’re dying. Again.” Looking up at him, Theo smiled weakly.

“It’s not…not as bad…” Swallowing, he gasped in another breath. “At least you’re here…not like the other times…” He tried moving, eyes narrowing, and then looked at Liam with a sudden ferocity in his eyes. “Cybil wants something. She always has. You need to give it to her.”

“What? Theo, you’re not—” The chimera slapped a hand over his mouth desperately, and Liam stared down at him.

“ _Listen to me_ , Liam. The ARCHERs have weak points. The armour plating at their ribs is weaker. You tear that off, then you can get to the wires, but they explode after a couple seconds so it can’t be someone with a slow healing factor who fights them. The one with the bow, Artemis, is the fastest. Apollo has the tail spikes, they’re poisoned. Orion is the strongest.” He was gasping now, clutching onto Liam’s arm and choking on his own blood with every other word. Blinking away tears, he smiled and added, “Don’t worry, everything’ll be fine. We’ll just wake up tomorrow and we can fight again, right?”

Before Liam could even really process what he was saying, Theo’s head fell into the crook of his arm, eyes fluttering shut as the chimera let go. His hand fell away from Liam’s mouth. For a few moments, all Liam could do was stare down at him in horror, at the injuries Hayden had caused. And then it hit him.

Theo had known the ARCHERs’ weaknesses.

But he hadn’t interacted with them at all that day.

Which meant that _he remembered dying just like they did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, this was literally just an excuse for me to write Theo dying over and over again. Like, yeah, the methods change, but it’s kind of…obscene, honestly. But, hey, you’re the one reading this, so I guess that’s chill. The next chapter will be better…ish.  
> He really does die about sixty-four or so different times in this chapter and the one before. I made a list and checked them off as I went through. Most of them were changed, though, I didn’t feel like writing them all out because that would just get tedious. I may have missed some because I decided to stay up for about thirty-something hours without bothering to take into account my sleep schedule. My parents were away, so I binged Teen Wolf.  
> Also, I wrote this on two separate days but I didn’t sleep in between them. As I’m writing these post-notes, I’m trying not to cry over the ending of 6a (did I watch the whole season in one night? Yes, yes I did, and I’m not ashamed of it and I’m probably going to regret it later) and craving peanut butter and mini bagels, so that’s something. The next chapter is ‘Face Off’.  
> Now, into the fray once more!


	5. Face Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone tries to figure out a plan. With the knowledge that Theo gave Liam the last time Hayden killed him, they might actually have a chance. Of course, help comes from a very surprising source.  
> Very, very surprising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started watching Season 6b and I felt like something was obscenely wrong without Dylan O’Brien in the credits. Also, came up with another idea on top of this one. At the moment, it’s kind of a thinly veiled AU where Scott isn’t important and, like, nine characters have superpowers but they’re trying to hide it which is going to be hilarious because they’re college students working on the same TV set. Long story, even though the novel won’t be more than 500 pages. I have a beginning, I have parts of the middle, and I have an idea for the ending. Now I just need everything else.  
> This would have originally had Deaton, but I realised the guy is a freaking cryptid and wouldn't help so much as just piss everyone off.  
> Also, I realised these are always really long notes, and I apologise for that.   
> What I don’t apologise for is the fact this is the last chapter where Theo keeps dying.   
> Now, onto the fic!

When Liam had staggered home to the loft, carrying Theo’s broken body in his arms, he could barely see what was in front of him. He was sobbing uncontrollably, barely able to breathe. All this time, they had thought Theo wasn’t remembering anything. Why hadn’t they realised he was a good actor? It wasn’t even the first time he had done something like this.

Everyone’s reactions were somewhere in a spectrum from guilty to horrified as he explained that. Except when they tried to find Theo the next day, all they could find was a note from the chimera, saying that he would be back soon and that he was fine, he was going to try to find something out from Cybil. They knew he was going to die before the end of the day. So did he. But they stayed put.

Of course, they didn’t have any other choice—somehow, he’d masked his scent too well for even Malia or Isaac to follow.

So instead, they sat around the main room of the loft. “So, we need a plan. Liam, what exactly did Theo say again?”

Staring at his hands, Corey and Mason on either side of him, Liam glanced up at Stiles, who had spoken. The young man was pacing the floor of his boyfriend’s loft, clearly trying to find the pattern. “He said that the ARCHERs have a weakness. The plating on their sides, where their ribs would be, is weaker than the rest. If you rip that off, then you can get to the wires inside. But they explode when you do that, so it has to be someone with the accelerated healing factor or else they won’t survive the blast.”

“Alright, good. Well, not good on the exploding bit, but we have something we can work with. Did he give anything away about a pattern?” Liam shook his head, and Stiles paced in a few tight circles, thinking. “Lydia, any suggestions?”

The banshee shifted in her seat on the couch armrest, glancing out the window. “No, but Theo’s not dead yet. For once.”

As if speaking his name had summoned him, the scent of Theo suddenly washed over them all and something scratched at the loft door.

For the second before Derek opened said door, everyone braced themselves for some sort of brutal reveal. However, Theo just trotted right in, still in coyote form, like nothing else had happened. He didn’t shift back, instead striding over to Liam and putting his head in the werewolf’s lap. No one spoke for a long while as Liam stroked his boyfriend’s furry ears. Eventually, Theo just decided to curl up at Liam’s feet, and Malia cleared her throat and waited until everyone looked at her.

“We’re not going to get anything out of him, he’s overwhelmed.” When everyone gave her quizzical looks, she just shrugged. “I just know. It’s something I’d do if I were in his situation.”

“Dying over and over again?” Peter suggested, and Theo growled but didn’t reopen his eyes. Liam moved off the couch just to keep petting him. Admittedly, he wanted to pull Theo as close as possible, hold him as tight as he could and never let him go. But that wasn’t…he couldn’t do that in front of him. Theo wasn’t like that.

As if he could read Liam’s mind, Theo made a snuffling noise and slipped his head onto Liam’s lap again, rubbing into Liam’s hand when his ears were stroked and making a sound akin to a purr. Distantly, Liam found himself thinking back to when he and Theo had been lying on the couch after painting. “Oh! I just remembered something!” Looking up and meeting Stiles’ gaze, he explained, “Theo said that Cybil wanted something. I’m not sure what, and I don’t think he’s learned either, but I think if we figure out what it is then we can get her to break the spell. Maybe even switch to our side.”

Crossing his arms, Chris glanced at Noah and the other adults. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Liam. Cybil can’t be trusted. You know D&D?” Mason straightened up at the idea of one of the most formidable hunters they knew being a D&D nerd. No one seemed to notice. “If she had an alignment, it’s somewhere along the chaotic spectrum. She does what she wants when she wants, with no pattern. Sort of like how the past couple of weeks have been for everyone.”

“But maybe we can figure something out.” Lydia mused, while Stiles vanished into the kitchen. He came back with a small vanilla frosting container, opened it, and set it in front of Theo. The coyote immediately started eating, black muzzle flecked with white. Despite it being kind of disgusting, considering he was just eating _frosting_ and nothing else, it was actually…kind of cute. _My boyfriend is weird._ Liam mused, then paused and mentally added, Everything _about my life is weird, I’m a werewolf!_

Theo eventually finished the frosting, trotted off, and returned in his human form (thankfully clothed, for the sake of everyone else). Yawning, he settled down by Liam and casually interlaced their fingers like he wasn’t thinking about it, yet he clearly was. Everything Theo did had a reason behind it, he was hyper-aware of everything around him because he still didn’t believe that he would wake up from it all and be back in Hell. It was something he’d brought up what felt like years ago but was only a few months, after a particularly nasty nightmare. Instead of bringing it up or even glancing at him oddly, Liam just squeezed his hand.

After a while where everyone talked about nothing in particular, letting Theo take some time for himself, he finally spoke up. “You probably have a lot of questions. I’ll answer what I can as honestly as possible, just…not all at once.” He offered quietly, and everyone went silent to listen to him. When no one spoke, he arched an eyebrow and smiled as he said, “I said not all at once.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? That you remembered?” Scott asked, glancing at Stiles and Derek, and Theo shrugged.

“It felt more like a dream, really.”

“You have dreams like that?” Melissa asked, frowning, and Theo paused.

“Well, most of the time they involve Tara ripping my heart out of my chest. Nothing different than what I went through in Hell.” The whole spectrum of horrified to guilty appeared around the room, and Theo made the face. “Don’t start blaming yourselves right now, or else that’s just going to make it worse for you when I die again tonight.”

“How do you know that?” Corey asked, and Theo shrugged.

“We’re not going to figure out how to stop Cybil before the day ends. Preferably, I would rather have someone else kill me, I don’t like what happens when no one does.”

At that, Corey frowned, “Is that…do you get a choice?” Liam pulled Theo into his chest, and the chimera didn’t seem to mind once their hands were linked together again.

“Sort of?” Clearing his throat awkwardly, Theo explained, “It’s sort of like…I don’t know, I can still make some choices but all my body will do is kill itself. I mean, yeah, a couple times I _did_ do…that before, but only because I thought it would actually get you guys out of the loop.”

“And what if you died?” Liam asked, and Theo grimaced. “For good, I mean.”

“It’s going to upset you, but if me dying means you don’t have to suffer, I’d kill myself in a heartbeat.” Everyone went silent, because Theo _had_ killed himself for them. Probably without even a single thought. “I’m sorry, I know, but I couldn’t—with Hayden saying maybe killing me would end the pattern, I just—”

“You wanted to make sure you weren’t the cause.” Stiles finished, and Theo nodded. With a slightly odd smile, Stiles met the chimera’s gaze and said, “Next time, don’t kill yourself. Come to us first. Please.”

Theo just smiled back. “I hope there isn’t a next time.”

Everyone went silent again, and Derek cleared his throat. “I’ll do it.” They all looked at him. “Tonight. As fast as…you know.”

Smiling, Theo nodded, then turned back to the others. There was a sudden set to his gaze. He almost looked a bit like Old Theo. The same determination was there, but this time it was for something good.

“Now, let’s see if we can come up with a plan.”

+++

It took three more deaths (all by volunteers—Chris, Melissa, and then Peter) for them to finally decide that talking to Cybil was going to be the easiest thing to do.

Shockingly, it wasn’t that hard to find her. Although, really, they would have to say that _she_ found _them_. She’d probably known where they were the entire time, biding moments to wait for the perfect time to show up. So she did.

In the morning, cooking in the loft kitchen.

_Chatting with Theo like he was an old friend_.

“What are you doing?” Liam demanded, almost launching across the counter. Except she was at the stove, which had an open flame, and with their current luck Theo was going to get killed if Liam attacked. She sent a casual smile back his way.

“Hello, Liam Dunbar.”

“Don’t talk to me like we’re friends. The only reason I’m not ripping your throat out is because I don’t know where to hide a body.”

“I’d help.” Theo announced, and Liam sat down next to him after a second. Cybil continued to cook, hair tied up in a messy bun. She was wearing different clothes, looking more like a human being than the witch who’d been torturing all of them for the past months. “She’s actually pretty chill once you get to know her.”

“She’s killing you. She’s been killing you for the past several months. _She made the spell that is making you kill yourself._ ” Liam pointed out, and Theo shrugged like it didn’t matter. “Did she put another spell on you?”

“No, she didn’t.” Theo and Cybil replied at the same time, and the witch turned back to him holding two plates.

“I understand if you’re worried about your boyfriend, but I’m not a threat. I was hired to hunt some wolves.” Liam kept holding her gaze, and she set the plate down in front of him. There was more food sitting on the counter, which was sure to draw the others out of where they had been sleeping. Liam had been on the stairs, since that was where he could look over at Theo where he slept.

The plate itself was loaded with food that smelled better than it looked, which was saying something. Bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes. It looked almost _magically_ good, which was probably what it was. “Liam, it’s not poisoned.” Theo elbowed him, then took a bite. “See?”

After a few moments, Theo started choking, and he and Cybil shared a glance before she snapped her fingers. Theo stopped choking pretty much immediately, and Liam stared at her. “But you were hired—”

“To hunt some wolves?” Shrugging, she snapped again, and two mugs of hot coffee appeared in front of them, done to their favourite orders. “I never said how _long_ I was hired to hunt wolves. Besides, Jackson’s no fun, he’s pretty stupid actually.” Turning, she smiled. “Hello, Lydia. Please don’t scream, I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

“Clearly.” The banshee walked over to the counter while Cybil whipped her up a plate and some coffee. “Why are you here?”

“I messed up the spell. Theo wasn’t meant to remember all of…that, and the people I’m _actually_ working for have decided it’s time to wrap things up. The spell wasn’t meant to last more than a week’s worth of deaths, anyways, and they certainly weren’t supposed to be so _brutal_.” Sending a sympathetic look Theo’s way, she added, “I am sorry for that, my dear.”

“Ah, don’t worry, I’ve killed people, too. I’m pretty bad.” She made a face. “Cybil. You know my story.”

”And I know someone who engineered a pandemic and is responsible for two different massacres, one of which includes family members of theirs.” Pausing, she glanced down and added, “Actually, I know a _lot_ of people who have done worse than you.”

“Like Monroe?” Chris added, appearing in the doorway. He didn’t attack, barely even seemed to act like Cybil was the enemy she was.

At the name, Cybil groaned. Suddenly, Liam started liking her just a little bit more (okay, maybe a lot, since she _did_ just stop Theo from choking to death on breakfast before the rest of the Pack even woke up). “Monroe. Oh. My. _Gosh._ Seriously, that _lady_ is the bane of my existence, I swear. I mean, sure, I get that she’s pissed off that people died and that she was lied to, but really? _Really?_ Where does that justify going around murdering people, especially _teenagers_? Yes, she has a right to be mad, and yes, her getting hurt and having to hide under someone who’s dead is awful, but _trust_ me I have been places and I know people who have gone through _so_ much worse. Some of them have been through things she can’t even _imagine_ , and are they killing people? No!” She was back at the stove, making Chris a plate, and stabbed the spatula into the scrambled eggs maybe a little more than was necessary. “No, they didn’t. Some of them didn’t even kill the person who did that to them—that person’s still around, actually! And yes, some of them are worse than how you think you are, Theo.” Handing the plate to Chris, she made him some coffee. He seemed shocked that she knew his favourite. “Thank Theo, he notices stuff. But really, if I ever meet Monroe, I’m going to slap her to Japan. And she’ll be going _east._ ”

“Sounds like you don’t like her.” Lydia mused dryly, and they shared a grin. Stretching, Cybil cracked her fingers and started making more plates. “So why did you break off your deal with Jackson?”

“Oh, I never broke it off, my dear. But the thing about Jackson is that he’s like every other villain I’ve ever met. They’re just not that smart, honestly. Not that the heroes are the brightest—I know you have your ethics and morals and all, but one gun and you could take out Monroe in a heartbeat. She’s good because she’s got a gun, good aim, and she’s charismatic. Like…like Hitler. They’re both charismatic leaders, but they’re going to fail no matter what because empires fall and their pride and egos are going to get the best of them.”

“Oh, really?” Smiling, Theo glanced at Liam and then said, “Prove it.”

“Well, Hitler probably could have won. The reason he rose to power was because he was a good leader and Germany was desperate—which is what Beacon Hills was like when Monroe managed to sway so many people. Honestly, the Anuk-Ite probably didn’t help.” She made a face and added, “And I can’t believe she went around blaming _teenagers_ for something they didn’t do. What, did you make the Anuk-Ite? No, no you didn’t. Sure, you freed it by accident, but you didn’t put it there. And what, did the people who _did_ put it there honestly think that leaving it _alive_ was a good idea?” Shaking her head, she set the plates out. “Anyways, Jackson didn’t pay attention to _wording_. Just because I say that I’ll _capture_ someone doesn’t mean I’ll keep them that way. Someone who’s been captured five seconds ago is just as captured as someone who was captured five months ago. And I never said I wouldn’t _release_ my captives, either.” Shrugging, she stepped back. “Now, I’ll see you later. Come find us in the woods—this is going to end today because I’m sick of getting coffee and blackberry jam spilled on my favourite shirt because I’m ‘goth’ or whatever.” She started walking towards the door, then turned back to Theo and added, “Margot is a discount store with regular pricing and no bathrooms!”

Then she was gone. Theo snorted at the joke, looking back down at his food and poking it with a fork. Turning to him, Liam asked, “What was that about? Who’s Margot?”

“An old coworker, don’t worry.”

+++

Sure enough, they found them in the Preserve, plan in hand.

Of course, said plan was immediately thrown out the window of a building. Expelled. Discharged. Ejected. One could even say the plan was yeeted. Or defenestrated. Off the top of the building that was McCall Pack Industries.

At least, that was what Stiles was shouting as he and the others were pinned to trees by magic.

Cybil was standing right in front of Liam, the only one on the ground. He had been forced to his knees. At the moment, nothing was happening, but they had everyone there. The ARCHERs were there. Jackson, Nathaniel, and Troy were there.

“Cybil, please, you don’t want to do this.” Scott begged, and she didn’t even bother to glance at him.

“Come on, witch, just kill them and be done with it. We have somewhere to go.” For the first time, Liam realised that while Cybil and the Pack were aware of the time loop, Jackson and the others weren’t. Hayden was off who-knows-where, bleeding (Cybil had used a spell to, as Stiles said, ‘yeet’ the young woman out of sight and thus out of mind).

“I don’t know. Can you offer me something better, Scottie?” She turned to Scott with her whole body, one of her hands running up into Liam’s hair like she was going to yank his head back and slit his throat. It had happened before (not the throat slitting, the head yanking, and not by Theo).

“Traitor!” Jackson yelled, and Cybil glanced at him in a way that made the hunter shut up and lower his weapon.

“We’ll give you anything you want!” Scott added, desperation leaking into his voice. Everyone stared at him, and Cybil seemed to pause. She glanced down at Liam, whispered at him to look at her in a dangerous voice. When he did, she didn’t do what he was expecting.

Cybil _winked._

She turned to Scott once again with the full-body thing. For a few moments, Scott and Cybil held each other’s gazes. With a wicked smile, she turned around and whipped out a gun. “You know, that’s a very interesting deal, puppies. Why don’t you give me just a little while to think about it?” No one moved, no one spoke, and Liam was pretty sure a few people were holding their breath. Even the ARCHERs froze where they were. Meanwhile, Cybil kept glancing from Hound and Co. to the ARCHERs to the McCall Pack. Eventually, she tilted her head to one side, braid falling off her shoulder. “Sorry, but I think things are going to have to change. It’s just the way I am.” Liam waited to get shot, closing his eyes before realising he wanted to see Theo one last time.

A gunshot rang out.

But Liam wasn’t hurt.

Opening his eyes, he felt his breath leave him when he saw who Cybil had pointed the gun at. The muzzle was aimed at Nathaniel Chase, who was holding onto his stomach where red stained the flannel. “What did you do?” Jackson roared, and she sent a sharp look his way before snapping. Immediately, the ARCHERs started glitching, sparks flying from their necks and eyes going from red to white. Then, all three deactivated and fell to their sides, sinking into the ground until they were no longer visible. The earth had consumed them. “Cybil! We had a deal!”

She turned to him, smiling wickedly. “Deal’s off, sweetheart. You really should have thought about that before agreeing. Now, take your friend there to the hospital, and don’t come back. Ever. Or else I’m going to grind you like cheese until there isn’t even enough of you left for a DNA test.”

“Jackson, let’s go.” Troy urged, supporting Nathaniel. Jackson hesitated for a second, then turned and helped his friends flee. For a few moments, no one spoke, and Cybil watched them go with a casual shrug.

“I never liked them anyways. Except Nathaniel, he was nice.” Turning back to the Pack, she snapped her fingers and released them from their bonds. Snapping one hip out and crossing her arms, she looked at all of them, “So, I suppose you want to kill me now.”

Malia snarled, stepping between her and Theo and Liam. Stiles gripped his baseball bat, Derek and some of the other wolves bared their fangs, Corey and Mason crouched by Liam and Theo like they were ready to turn invisible at any moment. Jenna pulled out a taser. “I think that’s an understatement.” Scott mused, and Cybil laughed. “What do you want, Ms Whitney?”

“From you? I already got it.” Glancing at where the ARCHERs had sunk into the ground, she kicked the dead leaves aside and picked up three silver ingots. They were small, about the length of her hand (which was on the small side as well). Instead of throwing them like Liam expected her to, she slipped them rather casually into a pouch at her hip and turned to the others. “I can see why they like you.”

“They? Who’s they?” Jenna echoed, and Cybil just smiled.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that. Now, I guess if I _did_ want something from you, it would be my freedom to leave. I’m sure Chris here knows all about me from the hunter circles.” She rubbed her nails off on her shirt, then added, “Monroe went after me a while back, so if you want to find me…well, just look for wherever that girl dies. She may not be _wrong_ for being angry about what happened, but I have something against killing people.”

“You did that to Theo. Repeatedly. For months.”

“Yes, but he wasn’t supposed to remember. I’m afraid the ARCHERs messed up a little bit on that.” Walking over to Scott, she smiled and reached up to wipe some dirt and blood off his face. He, understandably, froze up and eyed her suspiciously. “Don’t worry, dearie. Just making sure that no one wants me dead when I get home.”

“You live somewhere?” Chris asked, and Cybil grinned and stepped back. She made a quick gesture as she did so, and a portal began to form behind her. Swirling purple and turquoise light formed, and she suddenly seemed…different somehow.

“Well, obviously, but I don’t think you would know where if I told you.” Untying her braid, she rolled her shoulders. “Now, I think I should go. I have some wolves to report to. See you!”

Then she vanished into the portal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is an epilogue after this! Also, lots of apologies if the ending seems weird, I was having a little bit of fun when I realised having Cybil be a dimension-travelling witch just seemed like a fun idea. She might actually show up in some of my actual books (not that this means this would be canon, because I unfortunately don’t own Teen Wolf. If I did, then I would have written a shockingly dark show for a seven-year-old).   
> Also, I love History, even if I rant about people being idiots. Honestly, Beacon Hills is lucky that I don’t own Teen Wolf. I would’ve had the protagonists pack up and leave for a week, then come back because they’re good like that, but BH would have been DESTROYED in the meantime. Not like, destroyed destroyed, but pretty wrecked.  
> I turn seventeen in two days, it’s really weird.  
> Now, the next chapter is going to be the epilogue, and then there might be a preview for one of my series (it depends on whether or not I can animate/record/edit the video in time and make a new YouTube account under ‘goldstonewolf’).  
> Now, into the fray!


	6. Not an Actual Chapter

Hey, guys, Gold here.

So, I'm really sorry, I know you guys have been looking forwards to the last couple chapters of this. I was putting it off because i hadn't gotten around to storyboarding the teaser trailer for a personal project that would be on my youtube (which now exists as me, yay!)

However, the story is going to have to go on a hiatus. I don't know for how long, but it could be anywhere from just a few more days to a couple months. I'm really sorry for doing this to you, but about forty minutes ago I found out that one of my childhood friends passed away from cancer. It's not a sudden development, we've known this was going on since last August, but it's still...yeah. This is going to be taking a short hiatus, and I may not post on Ao3 for a little while.

Once again, I'm sorry. Thank you for reading this far and commenting, I should be back soon. I just need some time. I hope you all know you're loved and appreciated and amazing, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

\--Goldstone


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